Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, our online events and activities have become a popular way for InterNations members around the world to connect — from big-scale monthly events to book club activities. Although some of our Ambassadors and Consuls used Zoom Basic and other free videoconferencing tools from the beginning, there were limitations to their usability, such as a time and attendee limit and few special features. As of 19 June, we have integrated Zoom as a videoconferencing tool for our communities around the world.
With this important change, we decided that it was time for a handy guide on how to use Zoom.
Zoom is a videoconferencing tool — currently one of the most widely used — that allows our members to meet other expats and global minds online, both in their community and around the world, without having to create an account. You will have to download the Zoom app, however, if you want to use it on a mobile device. After comparing different tools, we have decided that Zoom offers the best functionality for our members and for our Ambassadors and Consuls.
Although some Ambassadors and Consuls may still decide to use a different program, this is the videoconferencing option we recommend.
Even if you are not well-versed in new technologies, using Zoom is pretty easy. After signing up for an online event or activity, simply visit the event page at the scheduled time and date and click “Join Meeting”.
You will automatically be muted when you join the meeting. This will make sense for events with a lot of attendees as it helps to keep the background noise to a minimum. However, you can — and should — unmute your microphone whenever you want to join the conversation.
To ensure a great experience for everyone, there are a few things for you to keep in mind:
As mentioned above, you don’t need a Zoom account to join our online events or activities. However, you will have to download the app to use Zoom on any of your mobile devices. Please also make sure to use the latest version of the InterNations app.
To make sure everyone has a great experience, event and activity hosts can make use of certain features.
Although Zoom is easy to use even if you’re not a tech expert, you might have some questions at some point or you may experience difficulties when using it. In either case, feel free to get in touch with the Ambassador or Consul hosting the event you are attending. They have a lot of experience working with the tool and should be able to help or they can pass on your questions to their Community Engagement Specialist.
If you have basic questions and would like to get a better understanding of Zoom, you can browse through the list of resources on Zoom’s website
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